Cedar River Detention Facility
Built in eastern Iowa before the Great War, the Cedar River Detention Facility was a privately operated experimental facility designed to test population management and control technologies. The facility would survive that conflict, even protecting its inmates from the ravages of the war, although they would eventually succumb to its after-effects. After lying abandoned for over a century, it would be rediscovered and repurposed by the Hldago Empire, and become a key part of their regime. History The Cedar River Detention Facility was developed by Stanford Security Solutions, a pre-war private corporation that focused on population management and control technologies. The facility was intended to be a state of the art prison that would be used to develop and test new technologies that could be used for prisoner containment and management, with the possibility to expand those into broader population control. The facility was constructed in partnership with RobCo, who provided Stanford Security Solutions with a number of key technologies that were integral to its operation. Key among them was WARDEN, an advanced computer system that was designed to work with the human staff in control and management of the population. Construction and outfitting was completed in 2070 with the facility taking in its first inmates in March of that year. Carefully managed contracts (as well as considerable kickbacks) ensured that Cedar River was taking in inmates from across the United States, quickly filling it with a diverse range of inmates. From the moment it opened its gates, WARDEN began carefully monitoring the inmates and gathering data from every aspect of their lives in custody. However, it also was monitoring the staff, a fact that many of them were unaware of. Life inside Cedar River was a harsh one for the inmates. The staff were encouraged to be as brutal and unforgiving as they felt was useful, with very little concern given for the inmates’ rights. Likewise, violence between prisoners was frequently overlooked unless it directly threatened the staff or the prison itself. Furthermore, Stanford Security Solutions had made deals with a number of other companies as well as the American military and government, to supply them with experimental test subjects. These were taken from the prison population; while many were completely unwilling, others voluntarily signed up for experimental programs while being unaware of what they were actually getting themselves into. The prison operated mostly flawlessly for the next seven years; while there were seemingly inevitable malfunctions and operational issues, the careful management by WARDEN ensured that there were no large-scale disruptions. On the morning of October 23rd, 2077, prison staff received warning of the impending nuclear attack on the United States. Stanford Security Solutions had taken precautions against such an event occurring, with WARDEN activating a series of pre-planned contingencies. First and foremost, the facility went into a full lockdown. Through staff management and the use of the Protectron guards, all the prisoners were immediately confined to their cells. Staff were then carefully evacuated from the facility while leaving the inmates with no clue as to what was going on. Inside, however, WARDEN continued to monitor the inmate population to gather data as to what they would do once the reality of the situation became apparent. Secured in their cells, the majority of the prisoners could do nothing but wait and see what was going to happen. Those few who had windows, however, had a more immediate realisation of their situation, as they were able to see distant nuclear explosions. As WARDEN watched, they were the first to break, screaming and demanding to be let out of their cells. The majority, however, simply sat tight, clueless as to the reality of the outside world while waiting for the lockdown to be lifted. However, as the hours stretched out with no announcements, tensions began to build among even the most secure and normally calm of inmates. By eight that evening, a group of prisoners in one of the exterior-facing cells had taken action. Through hours of work they were able to force the lock on their cell door, making it out into the hallway. This naturally set off alarms, triggering an automated warning from WARDEN. Ignoring the computer, the prisoners managed to force open several more doors before a group of security Protectrons arrived. The addition of armed robots turned a small-scale breakout into a full-blown riot as the prisoners attempted to free others, while the Protectrons applied lethal force to stop them. For the next three days the prison’s interior became a battleground as prisoners clashed with Robots in an attempt to either size control of the facility or find a way out of it. While outnumbered, the Protectrons had the advantages of being armed and acting as a single cohesive force under WARDEN’s supervision. Conversely, the prisoners were more of an unruly mob with little coordination or discipline. Many used the riots as an opportunity to turn on each other and settle grievances, only adding to the chaotic air. On top of that, many other prisoners remained stuck in their cells, still unaware of what was going on around them. By the morning of October 27th, WARDEN had the situation under control. Those inmates who had left their cells had been killed or forced back into confinement. The rest remained confined, although now they had been without food since the morning of the 23rd. However, as it was acting under lockdown protocols, WARDEN simply maintained the status quo, waiting for orders that would never come. With nobody to over-ride the lockdown, maintaining security took precedent over inmate health; under lockdown orders, feeding the prisoners required permission from a human supervisor. Consequently, the prisoners slowly began to starve. It didn’t take long for the more violent inmates to turn on their compatriots, and use them as a source of food. While WARDEN was well aware of what was going on, lockdown orders again took priority, and as such, the cells were not to be opened under any circumstances. (the system’s programming suggested that violence between inmates during a lockdown was likely a ploy to get the security staff to open the doors). As a result, WARDEN simply stood by as the inmates killed and ate one another in an effort to stay alive. Ultimately, these efforts were futile. Even the most determined and ruthless of inmates eventually succumbed when deprived of the last of their food supply. With no living human occupants left, WARDEN put the prison into standby mode, shutting down most of its systems while reducing the generator output and its own processing to the absolute minimum needed to guarantee the facility’s survival. Of course, the facility remained completely secure, its dormant systems awaiting the return of human staff. For a century and a half the prison ‘slept’, lying mostly undisturbed. Scavengers and other inhabitants of the wastelands quickly learned to avoid the facility, despite any promises of shelter or treasure that its looming form seemed to offer. Those that approached it were met with seemingly impenetrable walls and sealed gates. The foolhardy few who dared to penetrate further met automated laser turrets and guard robots that quickly repulsed or terminated their incursions. Stories of the facility spread, making it clear that it was little more than a deathtrap for the unwary. It was not until 22xx that another human would set foot inside the facility. In that year, Antonio Hildago learned of its existence and the technology that controlled it through exploration of the ruins of Des Moines. The Stanford Security Solutions office contained not only vital records of the facility, but also the over-ride codes that he would need in order to gain access to it. At the same time, the Vault-Tec Great Plains Regional Office provided him with a Pip-Boy, the tool he would need to get inside. Leading an expedition to the prison itself, Hidalgo approached its ominous bulk. He was unconcerned for the skeletons scattered around it, the remnants of previous efforts to get inside. Instead, filled with confidence, he simply walked towards the facility and opened an external access panel built into the gatehouse. Connecting his Pip-Boy into the system, he ran the over-ride program that he had acquired and simply waited. His patience and efforts were rewarded as the prison’s doors opened, a message welcoming him as the new warden. Once inside, Hildago was addressed by WARDEN who informed him of his new status. He quickly took advantage of it to assign his men as staff, ensuring that they would also be able to operate the facility. Having effectively secured it, he then took the time to learn as much about it as possible, including what it was capable of. In the facility he saw its potential as a fortress, a place from which he could build his army while being safe from retaliation. This suited his dreams of empire, and he came to se the facility as being his seat of power, a role it would occupy for some years. Exploration of the facility proved that it was in good shape, having been left untouched by the outside world for a century and a half. While it was strewn with the bones of its past inhabitants, the damage it had suffered during the riots was relatively minor and easily dealt with through WARDEN and its robotic staff. However, Hidalgo found that WARDEN would not permit the robots to leave the facility, despite his own position as the prison’s warden. Description The construction of the Cedar River Detention Facility (Stanford Security Solutions went to great lengths to avoid using the word ‘prison’) consisted of a trio of main buildings. Each one of them was identical in design, being a squat, cylindrical building constructed from thick, reinforced concrete. The three buildings were built around a series of concentric rings, alternating between prison cells and access hallways with the necessary security functions built in. Only the cells in the outermost ring had windows, and were used to house the least dangerous prisoners. The center of each building was a hollow core with a central pillar that supported the WARDEN computer and its monitoring apparatus. There were minor differences between the three buildings, but for the most part they are identical. An additional building, this one simple and rectangular in design, provided the facility with key infrastructure. This included a fusion generator, as well as water purification facilities and the WARDEN computer core. These facilities were installed in order to make the prison as self-sufficient as possible, including contingencies for it to survive a nuclear attack or large-scale uprising while continuing to function. In order to construct the facility, Stanford Security Solutions entered into a partnership with RobCo, which would provide it with certain technologies that would be vital to its operation. At the heart of the facility was an advanced computer system known as WARDEN. Not a true artificial intelligence, WARDEN was none the less a sophisticated system that was intended for use in managing and controlling the prison population. WARDEN would act in conjunction with human staff to manage every aspect of the prison from cell assignments to population movements and even catering. At the same time, it would contently monitor the population and gather data from them. In addition, RobCo provided Stanford with a number of other technologies and systems. In order to interface with the WARDEN system, as well as to aid in the population management, the staff were provided with RobCo Pip-Boy 2000 devices. The Pip-Boy were also used for certain prison functions, including over-riding WARDEN where needed. Finally, in addition to their advertised functions, the Pip-Boys were also used to monitor the staff themselves and gather data from them, a fact that the staff were unaware of. Furthermore, to supplement the human staff, the facility was equipped with a number of RobCo Protectrons. These robots were intended for use in security roles where they would be willing and able to use lethal force without hesitation against the prisoners. Additionally, the robots could be over-ridden by WARDEN if needs be in order to ensure the security of the facility in the advent of catastrophe. In addition to security models, the facility was also supplied with several medic model Protectrons, as well as construction models to aid in maintenance. These robots were supplemented with automated laser turrets to further contain the inmates and protect key parts of the facility. Prisoner management was a mixture of the conventional and advanced planning supported by WARDEN. Prisoners that were identified by WARDEN as being potentially problematic or dangerous could be pre-emptively reassigned or otherwise dealt with, theoretically reducing the risk of incidents such as violence or prison riots. WARDEN also served to identify inmates that would be suitable for sale to companies or the government, based on both desired attributes in a potential test subject as well as those that could be removed with minimal disruption or concern. While the facility was serving as Hildago’s military headquarters, he suspended most of WARDEN’s monitoring and population management functions (He was, however, unaware that WARDEN was still monitoring his people regardless). Later, after the facility reverted to its original function, the monitoring and population control functions were reinstated to support the Empire’s needs. Besides maintaining an orderly populace, the functions were also used to identify individuals that would be useful for other roles, such a forced labor or even as soldiers. Hildago’s men made one other change to the prison, albeit one that lay entirely outside of its normal operations. The staff set up a pit-fighting arena in the basement of one of the buildings where they would hold regular battles between prisoners. While brutal and violent, the fights are not intended to be to the death, but there have been incidents where one combatant has inadvertently killed another. The staff regularly bet on the fights, with large sums of caps often changing hands. The existence of this arena is something of an open secret; while it is not supported or endorsed by the Empire in any way, there has also been no moves to shut it down either. There have even been occasions where members of the military or even the ruling family have come to watch the fights. The arena was set up in the basement on the basis that it would be out of WARDEN’s view. The assumption was, in fact, wrong, and the computer has been monitoring and recording everything that has gone on in it. Notable Inhabitants Joseph Snuckley The current warden of Cedar River, Joseph Snuckley has come to see what should in theory be a plum posting to the Empire’s most important facility as instead being a dead end. Once an up-and-coming officer in the Empire’s army, he accepted the post in the belief that it would lead him to greater things, such as a posting in central command. Instead, over a decade later, he has remained in charge of the prison, and knows that he is not likely to ever go anywhere else. He feels that the assignment was instead a way to sideline him, pushing him out of the way so that others could advance their careers. As a result, Snuckley has become ever increasingly bitter and resentful towards the rest of the world. He in turn channels this resentment and funnels it towards the prisoners he has command over, instituting and enacting harsh punishments for even the most minor infractions. He treats his staff in much the same way, ensuring a stiff and unforgiving regime that has seen men punished for seemingly inconsequential mistakes. This has, in turn, made the staff even more brutal towards the prisoners, which serves to only perpetuate the escalating cycle of violence and resentment. Snuckley has very little life outside of his job. His long-time husband left him for a younger man several years ago, which only served to fuel his resentment and anger. He has no real plans for the future, and no idea of what he would do once he was retired or forced to stand down. His only real pleasure seems too come from watching the fights between inmates in the arena, and even then he is less looking for a winner and simply enjoying watching two people viciously beat each other. Category:Places Category:Iowa